I was talking to one of my friend today in cleartrip and came to know that they are in process of lauching a bot with whom you can chat and ask him to book a train ticket for you.

The bot doesn't seems to be very smart as of yet. But sooner they will be as smart as “google sms” [http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/default/sms.html].

These are some commands which bot understands:
Me : help
Bot : I am cleartrip's train search bot. I can search trains for you. Tell me your journey details like this: 'Mumbai New Delhi Feb 26 3A'

Me :  Mumbai New Delhi Feb 26 3A
Bot : Searching for trains between Delhi and Mumbai on 26 Feb class 3A
2904 - Goldn temple ml at 07:45
2926 - Paschim express at 16:55
2618 - Mngla lksdp exp at 09:20
2138 - Punjab mail at 05:30
2908 - Mhrst smprk k e at 21:35
2952 - Mumbai rajdhani at 16:30
1058 - Asr dr express at 20:50
2954 - Ag kranti rjdhn at 16:55

Type 'avail <train number>' to check availability.
Type 'book <train number>' to book the train.
Type clear to start-a-fresh

Me: avail 2952
Bot : On 27 Feb Waitlist 68
On 26 Feb Waitlist 68
On 28 Feb Waitlist 113
On 02 Mar Waitlist 78
On 01 Mar Waitlist 102
On 03 Mar Waitlist 49
To book this train say 'book 2952'. You may also specify the date like this 'book 2952 28 Feb'

Me: book 2952
Bot : Click this link to book https://www.cleartrip.com/trains/itinerary/e647c0c0e318012be4cc001a4bdf3d6a/info

Well we cannot compare google sms and cleartip train ticket booking service as Cleartrip bot is something very specific to the matter and google sms is for all type of local searches.

Steps to use:
 1. Add cleartrip.trains@gmail.com in your google account.
 2. Just start with help command and they will guide you whole booking service.

We will soon discuss this post among our inventwheel team and come up with a better implementation of the same idea.

Cleartrip.com is the travel site that gives you what you need without any annoying fluff. Who needs banners, pop-ups and blinking glitz? Search, book, go. That’s what we’re about - Making travel simple.

We made a list of some of the things we want to be:

• Simple: Simplicity is a religion at Cleartrip. If we’re not the easiest place to search and book your travel, feel free to give us a piece of your mind.
• Comprehensive: Part of making travel simple is presenting you with all the options for your trip. We’re working closely with suppliers to add more airlines and hotels to our search.
• Reliable: Making travel simple implies making a travel site that just works and works. We still have the occasional hiccup, but being there for you, reliably, is very important to us.
• Responsible: We take responsibility for what we give you. You won’t hear us making excuses for airlines or hotels or availability or prices. If we show you a price, we will honour it, come what may.

http://www.cleartrip.com

http://www.gmail.com

http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/default/sms.html

Wait for inventwheel comments on this article.